


The Ritual

by Madstertb



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), BAMF Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), BAMF Merlin, Dolores Umbridge Being an Asshole, Dolores Umbridge is Her Own Warning, F/M, Female Merlin (Merlin), Gen, Merlin is a Little Shit (Merlin), Not Really Important, but its funny, hogwarts is not ready, this is gonna be fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:28:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23689207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madstertb/pseuds/Madstertb
Summary: Merlin can't help it okay, shes tried everything but no matter what she seems to just attract trouble, its something that Arthur should just resign himself to at this point really. But at least this time its not technically her fault, what with Voldemort messing up this crazy old ritual in the first and accidentally bringing her to the future. Really she just wants to go back to sleep and pretend that this was not happening, instead, she has to deal with these weirdos who seem to think that pointing sticks at her are threatening, and a grumpy Arthur who thinks the answer to everything is to just get his sword out and point it at people. Goddess help her.
Relationships: Gwaine & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin), Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 136





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> So bear with me, I have been wanting to write a genderbent fic for a while and well this is the results of quarantine, hopefully, you guys enjoy. I think my plan for this fic is to enjoy it as much as possible which considering I already have the next two chapters planned out is a good sign.

He had finally found it, the one thing that was sure to let him succeed in his plans for world domination and finally get rid of the irritating Potter boy and his good for nothing friends. Crumble the resistance in its heart and get rid of that Order of the Pheonix nonsense. The object he had been searching for was a spell, a very important and powerful spell to be exact, and one that would provide him with a magical being of evil who would certainly help him in his pursuit of making Britain and eventually the rest of the world a pureblood magic only community with him the dark lord in control of it all. It would be a glorious time of prosperity and power for him and he couldn’t wait for the day.

The spell had taken him a year to find and gather the resources for, all done in secret, of course, in case any of his followers were traitors and would try and report back to that fool Dumbledore. Voldemort had learnt that it was always better to be safe than sorry especially with that annoying boy going on and on about how he had returned, not that it was much of an issue for him what with the ministry absolutely refusing to acknowledge his return. The idiots the lot of them but oh well it worked out better for him, the longer they were unaware of him the more plans he could set in motion without the threat of being interrupted by those bothersome Aurors.

But now, now it was time, he was ready to embrace his destiny and become the ruler of magical England. With that, he started to chant in an unknown and long-forgotten language, it had bothered him at first, not knowing where it had come from or what any of the words mean but eventually, he came to the conclusion that it would be best he didn’t know, confident in his ability that whatever magic he would do he could reverse it, after all, what could defeat him the great Lord Voldemort. 

Once he was done with his chanting a blood sacrifice must be made to fulfil the ritual as is the way with all black magic, no matter how old. He killed the mudblood and finished it by snapping the magic stealers wand. The previously dark room lit up as all the magic in the room collected into a miniature storm before revealing a female figure dressed in an elegant black dress and raven hair which cascaded down her back and framed her pale but fierce face.

Voldemort beheld the woman with some reverence and curiosity. She was surrounded in her magic which was as formidable as her, and as she looked up at him he realised with a slow cruel smile who exactly this woman was.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Merlin was not enjoying this quest, granted most quests were uncomfortable and dangerous and generally resulted in her being put in some life-threatening situations, but she had a particularly bad feeling about this one. Arthur, of course, had picked up on her nerves straight away (stupid soulbond) and had decided that the best course of action was to engage her in a battle of the wits to distract her. Needless to say, he was losing spectacularly and was providing entertainment for both her and all of the knights who were trying and failing to hide their laughter at the two platonics conversing in front of them.

He really wasn’t too bad of a person to be paired up with for the rest of her life, after all being the soulmate to the king had some perks. For example, being able to tell him to sod off without having to go to the stocks, or having some of his fighting capabilities, which really do help her when she’s in a bind and using magic is just not an option, although Merlin still hasn’t got used to people calling her a lady she doesn’t suppose she ever will.

Never the less they continued onward bad feeling or not, heading towards the treacherous caves for a magical artefact that could result in the doom of Camelot if Morgana got her hands on it. 

Once Arthur and her had met and solidified the bond between them ( resulting in the sharing of abilities such as his sword fighting skills and her magic and knowledge on medicine) he had slowly come to understand magic and that the force itself was not generically evil but the people who wielded it were. Of course, when they first met his father was still alive, so he couldn’t do much about the whole burning sorcerors on a stake thing. But now that he’s king Arthur had made it his personal mission to bring back magic to Camelot. Unfortunately, that was quite hard to do what with Morgana constantly reaffirming the kingdoms fear of all things magical. So, Arthurs, the next plan of action was to try and prevent any devastating magical attack Morgana could commit, hence the quest to hunt down an old powerful old religion relic in hopes to stop her before she could even start.

He was wearing himself down and he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for much longer but Arthur was stubborn, much like Merlin, and would refuse to stop until he literally couldn’t continue for more and she would have to deal with the fallout. To say Merlin was not looking forward to that would be an understatement.

And so they ploughed onwards in the direction of what was now a black smudge in the distance, horses trotting to the eerie forest and then the treacherous cave. Honestly whoever thought of these names needs a good whack around the head, could they not have made them nicer, e.g the peaceful forest and the happy caves or something, was that not so much to ask for.

The closer and closer they got to the caves the darker it got which was quite odd considering that they had only been riding for a few hours meaning it should soon be noon, not dusk. It was one of the few times she was glad for the ostentatious red cloaks the knights wore as it made it easier for her to see them from a distance and with how dark it was getting she wouldn’t want to lose them, not that she didn’t notice Arthurs subtle nod towards Leon who in turn brought his horse closer to hers. Honestly, Arthur could be so protective sometimes, not that she would ever willingly admit that it brought a small smile to her face when he was. It proved the prat did care, even if he didn’t admit it.

Finally, they reached the cave and didn’t they just scream doom, really at this point, it was more of an average day in Camelot rather than a dangerous life-threatening quest. She along with the knights dismounted, much to Leon’s chagrin who wanted to help her dismount, you’d think by now he would be used to her shall we say less feminine actions, but ever the chivalrous man he was Leon had yet to give up on her much to Arthurs amusement.

Arthur unsheathed his sword as he muttered “We’re here”

“Wow way to go, Arthur, you’ve really got the whole ominous announcement thing going for you.” Merlin couldn’t help the smirk that crept onto her face as she saw Gwaine hide his laughter by pretending to cough.

“Shut up Merlin, that is not helpful right now.”

“Oh, and declaring the obvious is.”

“Well, I don’t see -”

“Sire as much as I’m enjoying this conversation perhaps we should head inwards towards the cave.” Only Leon would be able to get away with sounding both respectful and yet cheeky at the same time. Everyone believes him to be the epitome of propriety but Merlin and the knights knew better, he had a mischievous streak almost as wide as Merlins herself.

With that, the group headed onward and into the dim depths walking for a couple of miles in near darkness except for the flickering firelight of the burning torches held by Arthur and Percival. It was a long while before the cave opened up, but when they did it was worth the trek. The magic in the air was almost overwhelming with how potent it was and obviously the others could feel it too as Merlin heard their gasps from behind her. Arthur was clearly as affected as she was what with his not so subtle glances in her direction, but she wasn’t paying attention to that only the artefact in front of her. It was a golden necklace which had two small circles surrounding what looked an hourglass in the centre hanging from the chain. The object glistened and lit up the room bathing everyone in shimmering light. 

Almost subconsciously everyone had moved closer to it as if drawn to the unknown power it possessed, but before they could even touch it the necklace rose up and hovered in the air before admitting a blinding light and creating a portal which had began to suck everything in its path inwards starting with those closest to it, which just happened to be Merlin.

There was a shout behind her and the last thing she saw before she blacked out was both Arthur and Gwaine diving towards her as everything went dark.


	2. The Appearance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the response I've been getting so far is amazing, I was gonna take my time with this chapter and post on Wednesday, but you guys made me so excited I couldn't wait.   
> As a result, though it might be a little rushed and I didn't go back and add some extra details, so I will be doing that next time. But I really just couldn't not post it as soon as I finished writing. Sorry, not sorry. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

Today was supposed to be a good day, he woke up this morning finally feeling happy about what was to come, he had a pleasant conversation with Fawkes and now he was heading to The Order of The Phoenix headquarters to get an update from everyone in the situation surrounding Tom.

What Albus was not expecting, was this, he had arrived on time and the meeting started promptly with everyone reporting any information they had discovered since their last meeting. It seemed that for once things were going to plan what with Severus just about ready to begin his infiltration within the dark Lords ranks once again, and Molly and Sirius had decided that not speaking to one another was the best option for the order instead of constantly arguing all the time. It seemed as though the meeting would conclude relatively peacefully but alas he was mistaken.

The previously calm room had descended into chaos as three figures appeared from nowhere. There were a loud bang and a flash of light as they materialised in front of them all, how Albus had no clue, it wasn’t as if he had given anyone the location for Number 12 Grimmauld Place and no one else in the order could’ve said anything what with the enchantment on the building. Then there was the matter of them getting inside, which should’ve been impossible with the anti apparition wards on the place and the fact that the building was unplottable. It was all very worrying if Albus was honest, because if these people could manage to break in then surely Tom and his followers might be able to get in too. And that would not be good.

The order had reacted remarkably quickly and within minutes they were bound and placed within a locked room with Kreature standing by to inform everyone once the unexpected guests had awoken. Moody had of course been quick to judge and instantly assumed they were Death Eaters come here to kill them all and destroy the resistance to Tom and his ideologies. But as Albus stared at them he couldn’t help but disagree with that theory.

Looking at them there were two men and one woman all dressed in peculiar clothes. The men, one a golden blond-haired man and the other a deep chestnut brown, were bedecked in shining silver chainmail armour that covered their torsos and wrapped in scarlet red cloaks with what seemed to be a coat of arms of a dragon on the left shoulder. The woman was pale-skinned and had dark brown hair woven in an intricate braid atop her head. She wore a deep red dress with gold embroidery along the hem and had leather armour woven into the bodice with small patches of chainmail on her shoulders. All three of them carried gleaming swords strapped to their sides and the woman also carried a small leather bag filled with what Albus assumed were supplies on her other side. 

Albus didn’t know why they were here or what they wanted, but he certainly intended to find and preferably sooner rather than later, but no matter what he said the order wouldn’t react until they had debated plans thoroughly, which might take a while. Dear Merlin help him. As he left the room Albus couldn’t help but think they probably should have taken their swords of them, but they were wizards for God’s sake, surely they could handle a few pointy sticks. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arthur awoke to pain almost everywhere, he didn’t have the will power to open his eyes yet but he did emit a groan as he moved slightly, his heavy chainmail weighing him down and sapping the little strength he had. What happened? Where was he? Suddenly it all came back to him, there was a quest and a magical necklace and then Merlin was sucked into a portal. Wait, Merlin, where was Merlin. Panic rushed through him at the thought of being separated from his soulmate. His adrenaline had already started coursing through his body and he could feel his heart rate increase before he checked the bond and almost collapsed with relief when he realised it was still humming powerfully within him. The string connecting him and her together never failed to provide him with a source of comfort, for as long as it was there she was still alive. There had been many nights which he had woken up from a nightmare and used it to calm him down, not that he would ever admit that to Merlin. She would give him that smug smirk of hers that she just knew would get on his nerves.

With that thought, he used the bond to try and find out where she was only to realise that she was in the same room as him. What, where were they. “ Come on Arthur you can do this.” At that, he very slowly opened his eyes and sat up. Oh no not a good idea, the light was blinding and increased his already painful headache, but he persevered and looked around him to take stock of his surroundings. There was Merlin next to him and Sir Gwaine on her other side, they both were unconscious but it looked that Gwaine was rousing as he had begun to move slightly. 

That though wasn’t the strange part, it was unfortunately common for him and his knights (and Merlin) to be captured by some enemy of Camelot, it was his surroundings that bothered him. They were placed in a dim, dank room covered in cobwebs and grime, which wasn’t unusual for a cell in a dungeon, but there was a weird pattern on the wall, unlike any tapestry, he had seen before and there was a strange box contraption thing on one side of the room, which had white and black keys or buttons along the side of it with a stool tucked into it underneath. That must be a torture contraption intended for them, and once he saw it Arthur swore that whatever it would take Merlin would not be going anywhere near that, not if I have anything to do with it. There were also these long chairs padded with who knows what, that they were placed in between. And then there was the matter of what they were sitting on, it appeared to be a rug of some kind, but it was larger than any he had seen and the intricate details within must’ve taken years to create and would’ve been very expensive, so why it was given to them, the prisoners, was bewildering.

Pondering about his surroundings could wait, first, he needed to check on his soulmate and see if she was alright and then his knight. That was easier said than done though, as the moment he tried to move closer to Merlin, pain rushed through him and he almost collapsed with the agony of it. It probably would’ve been smart for him to just stay still, but Arthur was the King of Camelot damm it and he would not be deterred by a little bit of discomfort, alright discomfort might be an understatement, but still. And so slowly but surely he edged closer to her all the while checking both Merlin and Gwaine for injuries and pleased to note that neither had any visible ailments. That was a relief because even though he would never tell her this Merlin was definitely the better physician out of the two of them. He may have some of her knowledge due to the bond, but that doesn’t compare to actual practice, just like he was the better swordsman.

As he reached Merlin, Gwaine woke up with a groan and had decided it would be better to just stay still unlike Arthur because he didn’t move to get up only slowly opened his eyes and looked at Arthur.

“Urgh, what happened princess, where are we?”

“That’s what I would like to know as well Gwaine, I’m hoping that when Merlin wakes up she will be able to tell me.”

That got a reaction out of him, Gwaine sat up and moved closer over to her, checking for himself if Merlin was asleep.

“Why hasn’t she awoken yet, we have.”

Before Arthur could reply his attention was drawn to the moving figure next to him, ahh she’s just being lazy.

“I am not being lazy, you twat.”

“I didn’t even say that out loud.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Urgh that woman, honestly sometimes shes just way too good at getting on his nerves.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you, it’s incredibly painful.”

Typical, he says one thing she does the complete opposite, really he should expect this by now. Well, at least she can move, silver lining and all that.

“Are you both okay.”

“Stop your worrying Merlin, we’re fine aren’t we Gwaine.”

“Yep, yes I’m all good see Merlin.”

At that, he stood up and went to inspect the room further, not that Arthur and probably Merlin didn’t notice his wince of pain and slight limp he had when he walked around.

“Oh honestly men, your both idiots, if I ache then you two certainly do.”

Before Arthur could even process what was happening Merlin had moved over to him and grabbed his hand before she started to chant in the old language, archaic words that he still couldn’t understand even after all the effort Merlin went to teach him a basic understanding of Magic. Suddenly the previously agonising pain dulled to only weak throb and a part of that was Merlin’s pain he was feeling through the bond. Everything felt a lot clearer and his blinding headache had all but diminished allowing Arthur to start thinking clearly and begin strategising a way out of the cell they were in.

As Merlin did the same for Gwaine, he took stock of their supplies, the enemy had for some reason left them their swords and Merlin still had her bag filled with medicinal herbs and bandages. All in all, it wasn’t the worst situation they had been in, but they still didn’t know who took them or why they were here in the first place. There were a lot of unknowns and if there was anything Arthur really didn’t like it was not having all the information.

Once he was sure Merlin had healed Gwaine to the best of her ability, she still wasn’t the best at healing spells, but don’t tell Merlin that. He walked over and grabbed her arm, much like she had done earlier for him.

“What are you doing, I could do this myself.”

“You know as well as I do that healing Magic is always weakest when you do it on yourself, now let me help you.”

She held his gaze for a moment as they battled out their wills before she just sighed and nodded her head. With a little push from the bonds and Merlin skills acting through him, the previously incomprehensible words flowed from his mouth as the magic took effect and Merlin visibly relaxed as the pain left her.

“See that wasn’t so hard was it.” 

“Oh shut up dollophead.”

“As much as I hate to break this up before it gets interesting, we need to figure out where we are.”

“Gwaine's right, what’s the last thing you remember Merlín, you were closer to that object than all of us, did you maybe set it off or.”

“No, that wasn’t my doing, I didn't realise it at first but now that I think about it there was someone else’s magic there acting upon, I think that maybe —

Before she could continue the door started to creak open and Arthur and Gwaine (who were already standing up) unsheathed their swords and subtly stood in front of Merlin ready to see who their foe may be. She, of course, sighed at their actions, even if Arthur did feel her fondness from the bond, and stood up herself with her hand on the hilt of her sword.

The people who came in were not who Arthur was expecting, but then again his foes never were considered normal anyway. There were two men, one who must be considered near ancient and could only be alive due to sorcery, had an extensive silver beard and wore a long grey robe. The other man was equally bewildering, he had a fake eye that seemed to be moving on its own accord as well as a wooden leg.  
This man wore what appeared to be a strange hybrid tunic, with buckles placed throughout and a brown leather jacket on top. The woman had bright orange hair, a common trait among the celts and had on an orange dress with a woollen tunic placed over it. All in all their captors were very odd, but the strangest thing about them was that all three had wooden sticks pointed at them in a threatening manner. What good they would do against a sword Arthur didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to tell them they were at a disadvantage, not if it might help with his escape.

Before he could even ask a question to their captors, the one-legged man stepped into the room and turned to look at the archaic elder who it seemed was the leader of the group.

“Who are you?” 

The bearded man’s voice was soft but stern and seemed to be the sort of fellow he could capture the attention of a crowded hall with but a few words. A dangerous sort of man who looked like a puppy but was a snake in disguise. This might’ve intimidated a lesser man, but Arthur had grown up in Camelot’s court and so knew exactly how to handle a man like this.

“You ask our names and yet you were the ones who stole us here.”

The one-legged man edged forward slightly but Gwaine interrupted his stride with his sword, preventing him from getting any closer to Arthur or Merlin, the loyal knight he was even if he would never admit it.

“I’d be careful with that lad, it can be easily taken away from ya.”

“Alastor, there is no need for any threats, we just wish to know your names and who exactly you work for.”

“Who we are, well can you not see the coat of arms on my cloak, just because you are dishonourable enough to not bear one, does not me we are.”

The one called Alastor stepped forward again but before he could even utter a word the elder man once again interrupted in an attempt to stop the situation from escalating.

“Come now, no need for that, how about a deal, we shall inform you of our names and you, in turn, shall do the same.”

Arthur didn’t want to reveal their identities in case they were an ally of Cenreds kingdom, but with not much choice in the matter, he gave a small nod of agreement to the trio.

“I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, as well as a holder of Order of Merlin, First Class.

Order of Merlin, what, Arthur didn’t know what to think about half of the things the man had just said, maybe mentioning Merlins name was a coincidence, he could be referencing the bird for all he knew.

“Well, I’m Alastor Moody, retired Auror and member of the Order of the Pheonix.”

These titles don’t make sense, what is an Auror. Perhaps the Order of the Pheonix is the household they work for, or maybe they are a new religion, believing that if they kidnap the king of Camelot they can brainwash him to convert and spread this Pheonix idea across the kingdom.

“Molly Weasley dear, Order of the Pheonix member and matriarch to the Weasley clan.”

A matriarch, that’s almost unheard of, the woman must’ve lost her husband or she could be one of those rare cases, much like merlin, who refuse society’s standards for Women.

“Very well, you held up your end of the bargain, so we shall too. I am King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot and this is my soulmate, Lady Merlin.”

“And I am Sir Gwaine, knight of Camelot.”

Well, Arthur was expecting a reaction, but he wasn’t expecting their captors to be so shocked after all the red cloak is a dead giveaway as to who they are, and when you add in his cloak of arms (the dragon) it would be very hard for even a peasant to not know who they are. 

“I’m sorry, did you say Merlin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, that chapter was slightly longer than the last, in case you didn't get it Arthur thought the piano was a torture device. I don't know if I made that clear enough, I just went onto google and searched up images of 12 Grimmauld Place and they all had a piano in so I thought id include it. 
> 
> I wanted to convey how because it's in the future lots of the things are similar but different for Arthur, for example, him thinking Mrs Weasleys jumper was a woollen tunic, cause that's what they used to wear. 
> 
> Another thing is in case your wondering Merlins outfit is based on Susans from Narnia ( the second one, when she's dressed in her battle gear) and I thought that would fit fem merlin perfectly.
> 
> I'm not too sure how successful I was in showing Arthurs different view on the world cause of the time period he's from, so if you have any ideas on how I could improve, please let me know.
> 
> I promise, Harry and the golden trio will be introduced soon and we are gonna get to see Merlin sass Umbridge at some point and it's going to be glorious if get her into a lot of trouble.
> 
> Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas down in the comments, or if you just wanna say hi, don't be shy. ( Hey that rhymes)
> 
> I think that's all I need to say, but I could be forgetting some things cause I'm very tired right now, hence my brain is frazzled.
> 
> Love you guys loads and thank you for the support. x

**Author's Note:**

> And so the story begins, that was a lot of fun to write so let's hope you guys like it. Leave a comment down below if you have any suggestions, guesses or even if you wanna say hi.
> 
> Lots of love and see you next time x


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